Criminal Nation

Hilltop beginnings

Criminal Nation was a rap group from the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington, and is regarded by local historians as a pioneer of the Tacoma rap scene. The principal members were rapper Wojack, who recorded as MC Deff, and DJ and producer Eugenius, also known as DJ E, with a wider lineup that included D-Rob, Spade, Bumpy, Clee-Bone and D-Wiz, plus an extended crew called the D.C. Posse. Wojack was born in 1970 in Monterey, California, grew up in Tacoma, and led the crew Def City Rockers in the 1980s, working as DJ Icy Rock before he started rapping. After finishing high school in 1988 he concentrated on writing and performing, opening shows for Sir Mix-a-Lot and Run-DMC. The group first performed as America's Most Wanted before settling on the name Criminal Nation around 1990.

“Release the Pressure”

Signed to Seattle's Nastymix Records, the group released its debut album, “Release the Pressure”, in 1990. Produced by Eugenius and Womack, it described life in Hilltop during a period of heavy gang activity in the late 1980s, covering violence, drugs, gangs and police brutality, and it is credited as the first Pacific Northwest album to carry a Parental Advisory sticker. The album peaked at No. 73 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and spent 13 weeks on the Billboard charts. The single “Insane”, built on a sample of James Brown's “Funky Drummer”, reached No. 17 on the Hot Rap Singles chart, and the video for “Black Power Nation” received airplay.

“Trouble in the Hood”

The second album, “Trouble in the Hood”, followed on Nastymix in 1992 with production again handled by Eugenius and Womack. It peaked at No. 75 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. A review in The Rocket praised its layered sampling and heavy bass while noting how closely its themes followed other West Coast gangsta rap of the time, and AllMusic's Ron Wynn made a similar point. Nastymix collapsed soon afterward, which ended the group's first run.

Later years and legacy

After a long break, Criminal Nation reunited for a third album, “Resurrection”, released through Ocean Records, which returned to the socially conscious themes of their debut. The group played Seattle's Bumbershoot festival in 1999 and supported anti-violence events in Tacoma. Wojack released the solo album “Where Ya Going Wo” in 1996, organized a 1996 boycott of Seattle radio station KUBE 93 to push for more airplay for local artists, and continues to record in Lacey, Washington. During the 2020 lockdown he made a documentary about the group's history featuring interviews with Northwest hip hop figures.